The New Nier Game Is Not a Sequel, Will Feature Three Playable Players

Square Enix has begun opening up about its new Nier role-playing game.

When announced at E3 2015 as a collaborative effort between Square Enix and Platinum Games (and a few well-known Japanese game designers), many perceived it as a sequel to the original. However, Square Enix wants us to stop calling it Nier 2.

According to the game’s producer Yosuke Saito, they are unable to reveal the title of the game because of “a word in the subtitle that plays a vital role, and would give away some of the game’s concept.” The proper title for the new Nier project will be announced this fall.

He added that fans shouldn’t expect the game to be a direct continuation of the original’s story. Instead it’s a continuation of the game world, with a few returning characters.

The new Nier will feature three playable characters, two of which have already been revealed: the woman shown at the end of the game’s teaser trailer, and the young boy overlooking a ruined city.

Platinum Games’ inclusion means that players can expect the same signature brand of fast-paced action, but within the walls of the original game’s combat. Saito said that they don’t want it to be too hard, so as to isolate a certain audience.

At first I thought it was going to be a big battle-action heavy game, but a lot of their staff really respect Nier … and understand the project. They essentially took the original combat system and added some Platinum Games-type elements on top of it to make this hybrid.

The new Nier game has been in development for over a year now. It’s still too soon to see the game in action, but if we’re really lucky, there might be a surprise waiting for us at the end of the year after Tokyo Game Show 2015.